The best way to differentiate yourself in the workplace is with consistently strong communication skills. But how do you develop those skills? This 50-minute DVD and companion workbook give you practicing strategies - exercises, games and drills – to help you develop your most vital communication skills, from posture to eye contact to vocal variety.

Improving Your Speaking Skills gives you detailed, step-by-step demonstrations to help you develop your most vital communication skills, from posture to eye contact to vocal variety. For each skill, you’ll get several practicing strategies - exercises, games and drills – to help you either correct a bad habit or develop a good one.

The most effective way to work on your speaking skills is to practice them in your real-world situations. But for most of us, the biggest hurdle is focusing on a new skill and putting our thoughts together at the same time.

These exercises are designed to give you an intermediate step, a way to practice on your own -- a way to gain aptitude before you test out your skills in more important conversations.

The companion workbook on CD-ROM includes all the contents of the DVD and more! You’ll find additional exercises, a Self-Evaluation Checklist, an Action Plan template and literature excerpts for practicing out loud.

Cara Hale Alter, founder and principal trainer for Speechskills LLC, has trained thousands of business professionals in the U.S. and Europe on how to align their body language with their message. In this DVD, Cara defines and demonstrates key communications skills and outlines dozens of practicing strategies for building your skills, confidence and credibility.

DVD Contents

• Overview

PART 2 - GETTING STARTED

Create an action plan
Practicing Stratefgies
• Practice in low-risk environments
• Focus on one skill at a time
• Practice often
• Work with a partner
• Play games

PART 3 - VOLUME AND BREATH SUPPORT

Practicing Strategies
• Breathe from your abdominals
• Engage your diaphragm
• Increase your volume
• Develop vocal stamina

PART 4 - ARTICULATION

Practicing Strategies
• Warm up your muscles
• Recite articulation drills
• Use a stir stick
• Read out loud
• Whisper to a friend

PART 5 - PACING AND PAUSING

Practicing Strategies
• Test your words-per-minute
• Add a 2-second pause
• Pause with a friend

PART 6 - VOCAL EXPRESSION

Practicing Strategies
• Focus on pace
• Focus on pitch
• Focus on inflection
• Focus on stress
• Expand your emotional range
• Imitate a character

PART 7 - EYE CONTACT

Ground Rules
Practicing Strategies
• Practice with Post-it® Notes
• Practice in low-risk settings
• Take a field trip to the mall

PART 8 - STANDING POSTURE

Practicing Strategies
• Find your optimal posture
• Practice in everyday situations
• Practice on the phone

PART 9 - MOVEMENT <

Ground Rules
Practicing Strategies
• Movement for a large room
• Movement for a small room
• Keep your eyes up
• Watch your sight lines
• Avoid creeping sideways
• Lead with your hand

PART 10 - HAND GESTURES

Ground Rules
Practicing Strategies
• Recite nursery rhymes
• Break repetitive patterns
• Notice gestures in everyday situations
• Practice while standing


PART 11 - EXTRANEOUS FILLER WORDS

Practicing Strategies
• Enlist an outside ear
• Play the flag game
• Play Taboo®
• Talk to yourself
• Eliminate fillers from phone messages

PART 12 - EXCESSIVE SMILING

Practicing Strategies
• Take a field trip to the mall
• Practice on co-workers

PART 13 - EXCESSIVE HEAD MOVEMENT

Practicing Strategies
• “Knock your socks off”
• Practice on the phone
• Stay relaxed

PART 14 - MISPLACED UPWARD INFLECTIONS

Practicing Strategies
• Isolate words
• Isolate sentences
• Start high, end low
• Read out loud
• Practice introducing yourself

PART 15 - LACK OF FACIAL ANIMATION

Practicing Strategies
• Analyze your face in the mirror
• Focus on the visual picture
• Develop your “friendship signals”
• Greet everyone with a smile

PART 16 - CONCLUSION

When it comes to improving your speaking skills, there’s simply no substitute for practice. But if you put in the practice time, progress is inevitable!

Looking for more tools to help you raise your effectiveness? Our first DVD, Speaking with Credibility and Confidence, [link to SCC page, p. 3] shows you how your posture, voice, eye contact and other non-verbal signals influence how the audience perceives you. The Self-Evaluation Checklist will help you to identify what behaviors you need to work on to raise your effectiveness..

Order both Speechskills DVDs and save!

Speechskills DVDs are a powerful package. Speaking with Credibility and Confidence will help you to identify what behaviors you need to work on to increase your effectiveness.

Speechskills’ newest DVD, Improving Your Speaking Skills, [link to IYSS page] shows you how to practice those skills.

Order the DVDs together and save $30!
Order both DVDs: $179.95 $149.95

This offer comes with our 30-day, 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. It’s simple. If you don’t think our DVD will help you increase your effectiveness, simply return it within 30 days and you will receive a prompt and courteous refund.